Open Data and Data Science

Gerry ScullionDigital Manager, Office of the Chief Statistician

What is open data?• Non-personal and non-commercially sensitive

• Easily discoverable

• Accessible to anyone and able to be freely used

• Re-used and redistributed by anyone

• Available via the internet in an electronic format which supports its ready re-use

• Open licensing which allows its reuse

Why make data open?

How we will make our data open?

Statistics.gov.scot

Statistics.gov.scot

• Our open data publishing platform for Scottish official statistics

• Replacement to Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics (http://sns.gov.uk)– Used to disseminate small area statistics– Includes statistics on deprivation

• Access data covering all areas of life in Scotland at national and local level

• 5* format

Statistics.gov.scot

• Provides statistics from a range of organisations:– Scottish Government– National Records of Scotland– NHS Information Services Division– Transport Scotland

• A Tour• Give it a try @ statistics.gov.scot

What is data science?

• Related terms– Big Data– Data Mining– Business Analytics– Predictive analytics– Statistics

So what is data science?

• In our context• It widens existing analytical techniques• It uses a wider range of data (including

text/unstructured data like social media, and bigger datasets like sensors)

• It uses different analytical techniques like aggregation of big datasets and

• Has more focus on prediction

Why use data science?

• A greater understanding of the current and future world– to give better advice and– for us as an organisation to make better

decisions• Improve service delivery• It makes the most of data

What does data science involve?• Statistics• Data visualization• Computer

programming• Data mining• Machine learning

and• Database

engineering

What is the Scottish Government doing?• Invested in external organisations to

drive value for Scotland using data– Creation of the Data Lab

• Public Policy Data Challenge• Deliver three public data challenges

around:– Inequalities– Prevention, and– Civic participation

Public policy challenges• People arriving in hospital - to predict

needs for when they leave• Improve targeting of the family-nurse

partnership service• Understand which preventative

services for re-offenders work, and for whom

Predictive analytics

“to forecast what might happen in the future based on recent and historical data”• Exploratory workshop held to identify

where pa has greatest potential to improve policy outcomes

• Considering projects around:– Looked after children– People falling out of employment due to

sickness and disability

Scottish Government staff

• Data science learning events– For analsyts– For policy staff

• Virtual Data Lab• Data Management• Data Linkage

Conclusions

Data can improve people’s lives ...but not data alone

statistics.enquiries@gov.scot

@ScotStat